Page 105 of Rest In Pink

Rain looked dubious but didn’t object. We went to the door and she rapped on it once more with the shield as I pressed the doorbell.

Faye didn’t waste our time with the chain on the door, eye peeking out bullshit. She must have sensed something in our demeanor as soon as she saw us. We went in and Pete OneTree was seated at the dining room table. Faye led us there and sat next to him.

“What now?” she finally asked.

Rain sat down across from them to rest her bad leg and be on eye level with both. I stood behind her. We hadn’t discussed good cop-bad cop because that’s bullshit. We were both cops. We do what needs to be done.

I put the briefcase on the table. “Recognize that?”

Faye shook her head. “No.”

“Navy didn’t have it with him when he came to the Blue House the night he died?”

Faye’s eyes went wide. “He didn’t bring that in.”

Rain took that opening. “Should he have?”

Faye glanced at Pete, who didn’t look thrilled about this turn of events.

“Well,” Faye hesitated. “I don’t know.” That was the best she could come up with and even she knew it wasn’t going to fly.

“What happened that night?” I demanded. “Your brother was here, wasn’t he? Don’t look at him,” I snapped as she started to turn to Pete. I leaned forward, both fists on the table on either side of the briefcase. “I’m asking you the question. Mickey was here the night Navy died.” But I didn’t say it like a question.

Faye nodded. Her voice was a whisper. “Yes.”

“I didn’t hear that,” Rain snapped.

“He was here.”

I looked at Pete. “Were you here?”

“No.” He was still staring at the briefcase.

I reached for the latches. Rain moved to stop me, but caught herself before she did. I knew she wasn’t going to be happy with what I had decided. I lifted the lid. “One hundred thousand in cash. Navy was going to give this to Mickey, wasn’t he? I found it this morning at the bottom of the ravine where your son died.”

“Oh shit,” Faye whispered. “Damn you, Navy. You should have. You should have.”

I slammed the lid shut on the case startling Faye. “Why? Why should Navy give Mickey Pitts one hundred thousand dollars?”

Rain chimed in. “You’d been funneling money to Mickey while he was in prison, hadn’t you?”

Faye nodded.

“And you had Navy withdraw this to give to him,” I said. “Why?”

Faye gathered herself. “Mickey was owed it.”

Rain looked up at me, irritated, but directed the question at Faye. “Why? Who owed it to him?”

“Cleve,” Faye said. “Cleve promised Mickey, when he went to prison, that there would be half a million dollars waiting for him when he got out.”

“Why,” I said, “would Cleve promise Mickey money after he held up his trucks and beat the hell out of one of his drivers?”

Faye glanced at Pete and he gave a quick shake of his head. “It doesn’t matter,” Faye said. “Mickey believes he’s owed that money. And he wants it.” She looked Rain in the eyes and then me. “And he’s not going to stop until he has every last dime.”

“How much have you already given him?” Rain asked.

“Three hundred and fifty thousand.” She gestured at the briefcase. “I was hoping that would be the last. But Navy said he could only get a hundred thousand. It would have bought us time. Time for Navy to make the money back he loaned Cash for the development. But there was no more time.” She was shaking her head.

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